Zechariah (Hebrew prophet)

Biblical prophet

Not to be confused with Zechariah (New Testament figure) or Zechariah of Israel.

Zechariah

Zechariah as depicted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel

Died| c. 6th century BCE
Occupation| Prophet
Known for| Author of the Book of Zechariah
Father| Berechiah (likely)

Zechariah[a][1] was a person in the Hebrew Bible traditionally considered the author of the Book of Zechariah, the eleventh of the Twelve Minor Prophets.

## Prophet

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Zechariah as depicted by James Tissot

The Book of Zechariah introduces him as the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo.[2] The Book of Ezra names Zechariah as the son of Iddo,[3] but it is likely that Berechiah was Zechariah's father and Iddo his grandfather.[4] Targum Lamentations 2:20 names this Zechariah son of Iddo, as does the book of Matthew 23:35. This is not the same person as Iddo the Seer, who lived during the reigns of Solomon, Rehoboam, and Abijah,[5] and is most likely the Iddo mentioned in Ezra 8:17.[6] His name means "Yah remembers".[7]

Zechariah's prophetical career probably began in the second year of Darius the Great, king of the Achaemenid Empire (520 BCE).[4] His greatest concern appears to have been with the building of the Second Temple.[4] He features in chapters 1–8 of the book of Zechariah but he does not appear in the remaining chapters of the book (chapters 9–14).[8]

## Liturgical commemoration

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On the Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar, his feast day is 8 February. He is commemorated in the calendar of saints of the Armenian Apostolic Church on the Tuesday after the fifth Sunday of Pentecost[9] and, with the other Minor Prophets, on 31 July. The Catholic Church honors him with a feast day assigned to 6 September.

## See also

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* Tomb of the Prophets
* Zechariah (given name) for the derivation and translations of his name
* Zechariah (New Testament figure), the father of John the Baptist in the New Testament

## Notes

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1. ^ Pronounced /zɛkəˈraɪ.ə/; Hebrew: זְכַרְיָה‎, Modern: Zəḵarya, Tiberian: Zăḵaryā; Arabic: زكريّا Zakariyā or Zakariyyā; Biblical Greek: Ζαχαρίας Zakharias; Latin: Zacharias.

## References

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### Footnotes

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1. ^ Khan, Geoffrey (2020). The Tiberian Pronunciation Tradition of Biblical Hebrew, Volume 1. Open Book Publishers. ISBN 978-1783746767.
2. ^ Zechariah 1:1
3. ^ Ezra 5:1 and Ezra 6:14
4. ^ a b c Hirsch, Emil G. (1906). "Zechariah". In Cyrus Adler; et al. (eds.). The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls Co. Archived from the original on 29 May 2018. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
5. ^ 2nd Chronicles 9:29, 12:15, and 13:22
6. ^ Ezra 8:17
7. ^ Strong's Lexicon: 2148. Zechariah, accessed on 9 January 2025
8. ^ Jerusalem Bible (1966), Introduction to the Prophets: Zechariah, p. 1139, London: Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd and Doubleday and Co. Inc.
9. ^ Domar: the calendrical and liturgical cycle of the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church, Armenian Orthodox Theological Research Institute, 2003

### Bibliography

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*  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Easton, Matthew George (1897). "Zechariah". Easton's Bible Dictionary (New and revised ed.). T. Nelson and Sons.

## External links

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* Media related to Zechariah (prophet) at Wikimedia Commons

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Prophets in the Hebrew Bible / Old Testament

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See also|

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